APR: Accredited in Public Relations's tag archives

Have you heard that? Thought it? Said it? All of the above? We have too. “We” being the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB); and we have begun the very lengthy process to significantly update the Examination to ensure that all questions are current, relevant to the profession, accurate and valid. I’ll walk you through the process of how we are doing that, but first let me dispel the misconception that the Examination hasn’t been updated in years. We actually update the Examination in small ways throughout the year. More on that in a minute.

Let me start with the framework for the questions. We have a document called the blueprint. The blueprint lists each of the KSAs — the areas of knowledge, skills and abilities — that a candidate needs to successfully pass the Examination. And each of the KSAs has specific learning objectives — specific statements about what we are going to ask a candidate in this area.

For example, under the current KSA of Researching, Planning, Implementing and Evaluating Programs (RPIE), one of the learning objectives is Audience Identification and Communication. What we are trying to determine here is if the candidate can identify appropriate audiences and the opinions, beliefs, attitudes, cultures and values of each, and if the candidate can prioritize and properly sequence communications to different audiences.

Under the current KSA of Ethics and Law, one of the learning objectives is Integrity. Here the questions are going to be written to determine if the candidate recognizes and deals professionally with ethical and legal issues.

The current blueprint has 10 KSAs and a total of 43 objectives. Each objective has approximately three to five questions on the Examination. The proposed changes reduce the number of KSAs to six, and once approved, the number of objectives also could be reduced; however, the number of questions on the Examination will fluctuate very little, if at all.

This is a preview of Demystifying The APR Exam: From Blueprint To Publication. Read the full post

As a lawyer and consultant, I have been engaged in some form of what I now know as public relations for more than 20 years; it was just never called public relations. It was alternatively referred to as public affairs, public information or public participation. And although I had real-world experience, I had no formal training in such topics as communication theory, models or history. Nonetheless, in May 2013, when two APRs in our firm held a session to introduce Accreditation, I was intrigued. A week later I was in a Jump Start class.

As a self-proclaimed “old-school” public relations strategist for more than 13 years, I found myself becoming concerned that the integrity, credibility and prestige of the communications field might be waning. Without a way to measure expertise, how could true strategists separate ourselves in the field?

But once I began, it was stimulating to delve deeply into the theories and methods we use every day. Frankly, it renewed my passion and excitement for communications strategies. I was excited to realize that I use RPIE — research, planning, implementation and evaluation — habitually in my practice and that the core competencies lead my decision making. Plus, I learned new concepts that have made me a better professional and enabled me to perform my job at a higher level.

My best advice is: There is no time like the present. Sure, studying for the APR is time-consuming. The process can at times be overwhelming. And it is intimidating to think about what you might not remember — or even worse — not know. But in the end, it is absolutely worth pushing past these and other negative thoughts.

I came out of newspapers like a lot of folks my age who end up in public relations. Although I attended the best journalism school in the world, the University of Missouri, I didn’t know anything about planning, budgeting and evaluating.

My strength as a communicator for the colleges and social service organizations I worked for was in media relations.

But that was a small part of my responsibilities. Increasingly, I was called upon to develop a big-picture approach to help organizations realize their missions. That meant a lot of on-the-job training and mistakes.

All along, at Chapter and national PRSA and Religion Communicators Council meetings and conferences, I kept hearing the drumbeat — APR, APR.

Ten years into my career as a public relations practitioner, I was seeking a challenge that would renew my passion for public relations and invigorate my career. Earning the Accreditation in Public Relations was just what I was looking for and more than I bargained for!

The application process is like nervous laughter — feels exciting and scary simultaneously. Preparing for the Readiness Review is time-consuming and thought-provoking. I was reminded by a mentor that the Readiness Review is not there to deter candidates from earning their APR. It is used to evaluate whether or not a candidate is ready to move forward or if further mentoring is needed. The computer-based Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations is, well, um, yeah — it’s tough!

In fact, the whole process was overwhelming at times. But the greatest asset I brought to the party was perseverance — I never gave up! When I earned my APR credential, it was a spectacular moment in time. The experience was also personally transformative, and I was certainly not expecting to have a profound experience that I now reflect upon with great appreciation.

With all that said, Accreditation is more than the achievement, in and of itself; it’s about the process. Earning the APR is an Available and Powerful Resource.

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